


Rising Intensity

by antigrav_vector



Series: Acts of Defiance [5]
Category: Captain America (MCU), Iron Man (MCU), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky and James are different personalities, James flirts a bit like a sledgehammer, M/M, POV Bucky Barnes, Past Bucky Barnes/Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Past James "Bucky" Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Porn With Plot, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but they're learning to live together, don't question it too hard, idek, really weird love triangles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 02:09:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13603353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: Set betweenUnification Attemptsand(Not so) Internal Conflicts.At the end ofUnification AttemptsBucky hinted at James that he could learn what Steve is like in bed. Well, meantime a couple of weeks have passed and James has gotten sufficiently curious.





	Rising Intensity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amonae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amonae/gifts).



> Happy birthday, [Amonae](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Amonae/pseuds/Amonae), my lovely. This probably won't make a whole lot of sense without reading the rest of the series, but I hope you like it, even out of context.
> 
> Unbeta'ed. Thanks go out to [Quarra](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarra) for test reading and offering ideas.

The first week had been... awkward.

Bucky leaned back on his sofa and let his arm hang over the side until his knuckles brushed against the carpet it stood on. The livingroom of the apartments Stark had gifted him was well appointed and comfortable, but he preferred the sofa in the common area of the floor. Even if he stretched out flat on his back the sightlines on the rest of the area were decent, and it was a lot more comfortable than 'his'. Broken in.

He bit back a frustrated grumble as he cast his mind back over the last ten days. Meeting the team one by one would have gone so much more smoothly if they hadn't all been walking on eggshells around him. They'd all been so wary of James that they'd avoided Bucky as well. Mostly out of a desire not to step on his toes, it was true. And he appreciated that they were trying -- even if it was out of a mix of Steve's influence and a desire to keep their own hides intact.

But damned if it didn't also make it harder for him. Bucky really hated that he and James couldn't seem to strike more than a truce, sometimes. How was he supposed to make allies of the team if they wouldn't even talk to him? Only Stark dared, treating both Bucky and James more or less like he did Steve, but their erstwhile host wasn't around the Avengers' floors much, preferring to spend his time in his workshop doing whatever it was he did there.

The second week had been marginally better. Barton had started to slowly relax around him, and as he did, so did Widow. James wasn't sure why Widow trusted Barton's instincts so much, but he wasn't about to question it. Well. Not out loud at any rate. Bucky agreed with the sentiment. Some thoughts were best left unvoiced. Wilson was still holding out, quickly and silently leaving the room if Bucky tried to talk to him. Bucky was pretty sure _that_ little grudge was on account of the way the Asset had wrecked Wilson's wings.

Dr. Banner had yet to make an appearance in the Tower, and Bucky was kind of relieved about that. Dealing with the rest of Steve's team was difficult enough without having to worry about a man who grew to a twelve foot tall green toddler having a tantrum strong enough to destroy half of Harlem. Not having to worry about the literal God of Thunder either, was even better, considering he had a metal arm grafted onto him. Neither he nor James wanted to be on the other hand of that hammer and its powers. He didn't remember whether HYDRA had ever taken advantage of the prosthetic to shock him, but he wouldn't put it past them to do that. Even if it meant they had to fix the electronics afterwards.

 _They'd have simply punished us for 'making them break it',_ James told him, his mental tone dark and full of certainty.

He swallowed against the way his throat tightened and set aside that train of thought as best he could. Without thinking about it, he was on his feet and retreating to his room.

"Sergeant?" JARVIS prompted him as he entered the apartment, "Shall I place your usual lunch order?"

At least JARVIS had started to warm up to him as well, albeit gradually. The AI wasn't anywhere near ready to trust him, and both Bucky and James could see it, but their interactions had inched away from 'strictly business' and into what could approximate conversational ranges. Bucky was pretty sure that was mostly on account of his utter fascination with JARVIS' capabilities. 

Bucky let himself fall back onto his bed with a sigh. "Thanks, JARVIS, but I'm not hungry at the moment. Ask me again in an hour or so."

He didn't get a verbal acknowledgment, but he knew the AI would do as he'd asked. Shutting his eyes, he shifted until he was comfortable. "Where's Steve?"

It took a moment for JARVIS to reply, and James opened his eyes. "Captain Rogers is currently discussing possible armour upgrades with Sir."

Was that a lie? Could JARVIS even lie? He didn't know. Probably, knowing Stark. But without knowing what rules Stark had put in place to govern that kind of behaviour, it was impossible to say, one way or the other. Thing was, that hesitation was a bit suspicious.

Setting aside the question with a shrug, James requested the holointerface with a gesture. Might as well catch up on the his reading. Now that he was working with the Avengers to take down HYDRA, the much smaller portion of SHIELD that had survived Steve's purge had started sending them the equivalent of mission briefs, for all that they were officially no such thing. They contained things like information on shady dealings that they thought might be of interest to the team and suspicious movements of troops and munitions in countries that SHIELD, as an American government organisation, couldn't easily get into without making a stir but the team could. Stark and JARVIS handled most of the information analysis, but James and Bucky looked over everything, on the off chance that it might remind him of something he'd forgotten, or contain a place or a name that he knew. But before he could do more than open the most recent file they'd sent over, he heard his door hiss open and foot falls.

His eyes narrowed. The cadence identified the intruder as Steve, but he was moving quietly. Not trying to sneak up on James, but definitely trying not to attract attention. 

Bucky grinned. _He's in a mood to play,_ he told James with a wink.

James raised an eyebrow at his other half, but didn't question the assessment. Bucky knew Steve's moods a lot better than he did.

 _Thought you wanted to see what he was like in bed,_ came the next comment, tone falling somewhere between innocent and curious. _Why haven't you?_

Well, James decided, perhaps now was the moment. He'd held back for a while, wanting to let the dust settle as the team got used to him and give Bucky a chance to enjoy having Steve back. And feeling Bucky glow happily had been its own reward, really.

 _You are such a soft touch,_ Bucky told him. _No wonder you scowl all the time. If people knew you were like this they'd treat you like a teddy bear._

James watched the bedroom door as Steve approached, and tried not to laugh. Bucky was the one who had teddy bear memorabilia, not him.

"I know you're out there, Steve," he said when the footsteps stopped before Steve came into sight.

With a rueful chuckle, he stepped into the room. "I know, but I wanted a moment."

"For what?" James looked him over once, from head to toe. "It's not like you to hesitate."

Rather than answer, Steve huffed at him and came over to perch on the edge of the bed and study the file open on the projector. "Reading more mission briefs?"

"No."

Steve gave him a disbelieving look. "Really."

James stared back levelly. "Hadn't started yet."

Steve reached out for him and took his right hand, picking it up and twining their fingers together. "Good."

 _He'd better make a move soon,_ Bucky told him. _Otherwise he'll just talk himself out of whatever it is._

James could see it, too, now. Steve was nervous. "Did you want something?"

"Well, kinda." Steve hesitated again, and the pieces finally fell into place.

Steve had come up here looking for Bucky, probably with the intent of initiating something sexual. James considered for a moment.

 _Oh just kiss him, for fuck's sake,_ Bucky told him. _Before you lose your chance._

With a smirk James sat up and looped his left arm around Steve's neck. Steve jumped, apparently on edge enough to mistake the move for an aggressive one, but James didn't budge. "Pretty sure I know what you were after," he murmured, leaning in until his breath washed over the side of Steve's neck and ear. He heard the way Steve's breath hitched and grinned. "Lucky for you, I don't mind."

"You-- But--" Steve stuttered, caught off guard. "What?"

Catching the lobe of Steve's ear in his teeth, the way he knew Bucky did it and Steve enjoyed, James waited until Steve squirmed and then let go. Moving until they were nose to nose instead, almost sharing the air they breathed, he held Steve's eyes. "I've been wanting to try this," he added, not raising his voice, "since that day at the graveyard."

Steve gaped at him. "Why? I thought--"

He broke off and James waited a few seconds, but Steve didn't continue. He shrugged. "Even then, I was starting to remember. I got a few flashes of you and Bucky together and it was... nice. A few more of you two and..." He had to pause for a beat as a strong wave of sadness came from Bucky, "and Agent Carter." Steve was waiting for him when he looked up and their gazes locked. "I wanted to know what it was like."

Steve cleared his throat. "What do you want, then? Buck and I usually-- well, do you..."

James hadn't expected that question. Somewhere in his subconscious he'd been expecting Steve to assume they had the same likes -- to treat them as the same person -- even though Steve had never done that once, after he'd gotten used to the idea that there were two personalities sharing this body. "I don't know," he replied eventually. "This isn't something I've ever done for pleasure."

Steve winced and a hint of the banked rage he felt at HYDRA flared in his eyes before he offered, "Let's save the penetration for another time, then. Come here."

Feeling Steve's hands on his hips, urging him up to his knees, James went, not sure what Steve had in mind, but willing to let him take the lead for now. It took only a few seconds longer for those hands to free him of his shirt. In retaliation, he grabbed for the hem of Steve's t-shirt and yanked. It tore in a jagged line almost all the way up to Steve's pecs and got him a sour look.

"I liked that shirt," Steve complained. "You could've asked."

"Take it off, then." James shot back, unrepentant.

Grumbling at him wordlessly, Steve pulled back just enough to pull off the remains of the shirt. James watched him, appreciative, as he tossed the ruined shirt vaguely in the direction of Bucky's hamper. Then, as though some kind of silent agreement passed between them, they both reached out to touch. Steve shivered when the cold metal of James' left hand made contact with his skin, but didn't pull away.

He never did, when Bucky touched him with it, either, James reflected. "You like the metal?"

"I like you." Steve told him, that simple statement holding a wealth of information that James knew would take him some time to unravel.

HYDRA had sent him out on missions to seduce people before, taking advantage of his looks, rather than his skill with weapons. Needless to say, he'd completed those as successfully as the rest, but they'd left him feeling oddly hollow. The memories of Steve and Peggy that Bucky had shown him hadn't. Rather on the contrary, they'd filled him with a sort of buoying warmth until he thought he might float away.

"Good," he replied after the silence had drawn out for a second, and slid his hands up Steve's sides the way he'd seen Bucky do a few times. The move got him a sound that could have qualified as a squeak. "But that doesn't answer the question."

Steve's expression went determined. "I want to find out what you like, and then I want to make you come. Maybe more than once if you're up for it."

James considered that. "And what about you?"

 _He likes to make himself wait,_ Bucky put in, slyly. _He likes to watch his lovers get off and enjoy themselves, and then come all over them. Mark them up. Possessive bastard._

Those words sent a shiver up James' spine. That was kind of fitting. He was a possessive bastard, too, once he'd decided he liked someone enough.

Steve's hands trailed down his chest, the touch feather light, until they hit the waistband of James' pants. The touch drew his attention to the way his cock was tenting his pants, where he'd been ignoring it just fine until then. 

"Let me learn what you like. Then you can learn me, if you want. Or let Bucky take care of me."

That was asking a lot, and Steve knew it. James watched him for a few breaths, then nodded, closing his eyes.

"No, I need you to say it." Steve insisted. James had seen him do that with Bucky.

"Alright," he rasped, looking back at Steve, then cleared his throat. "I'm all yours."

He could see the curiousity and interest burning in Steve's eyes, mingling with the want. It was more attractive than he'd expected. None of the sex he'd had, had ever been this intense. Sure, Bucky had experienced this before. But that was no substitute for actually feeling it yourself.

Bucky might be the one head over heels for Steve, but James knew he wasn't going to regret this. And if for a fleeting moment he paused to wonder what it would be like to do this with Stark, well, he wasn't going to tell.

Steve distracted him from building that mental image, and the thought faded. "On your back," he requested. It wasn't an order, and James appreciated that.

He took his time rearranging himself on the bed, and Steve moved with him, not missing a beat, until he was lying over James, his hips keeping James' thighs spread wide. It left their hard cocks pressed together and made James squirm again, wanting more of that warmth, pressure, and friction, but Steve smirked and pinned his hips to the bed.

"We'll get to that. Later," he said, firmly.

 _See what I mean?_ Bucky smirked at him. _Now he'll map you out. He's good at that, you know. He used to have a sixth sense for where there might be traps or emplacements, when we were fighting with the Commandos, and he's just as good in bed. Can read me like a book._

James bit at his lip and watched Steve's eyes go dark. "Well, you've got me," he prompted. "What are you going to do?"

"Try out a few things. I know what Bucky likes, but you... First," Steve watched him thoughtfully for a moment, "I think I want to get my mouth on you."

Bucky was a smug presence in the back of his head, but all James could focus on was the intent look Steve wore. This might get intense.

He had always liked a challenge. "Bring it on."


End file.
